On Wax / Ken Boothe returns with Inna De Yard

A beautiful Jamaican soul release here! Inna De Yard is the legendary Ken Boothe’s first internationally released album in 25 years, preceded by the above single Speak Softly Love (written by Larry Kusik and Nino Rotta for The Godfather soundtrack, made famous by Andy Williams and originally recorded by Ken in 1974). His keynote LP Mr Rocksteady was out on Studio One in 1968, and he was signed to Trojan in the seventies. Hitting number one (when such things were the be all and end all!) with Everything I Own on 1974, Ken’s voice is one of the most well known of the genre.

Inna De Yard acts as a sequel to last year’s Soul Of Jamaica project, recorded over four days in Kiddus I‘s studio above the forested outskirts of Kingston and pairing reggae legends with new school talent.

Ken returned to the studio to re-record some of his classic tracks with an acoustic focus.

When we brought Ken to this house in the mountains to record he said: ‘Where is the studio?’. We replied: ‘This is the studio – the musicians play outside on the terrace, everyone together’. When he started to record he had a kind of shock – it is very different to what he has done before, mostly recording on his own over rhythm tracks. – Romain Germa

When I was there it was like I could touch the mountain and it made me express myself in another way. Inna de yard was where I started, where we all started, everyone recording at the same time and this album is like a fulfilment of this. – Ken Boothe

Tracklist

1 Speak Softly Love2 I Am A Fool3 Black, Gold and Green4 Artibella5 I Don’t Want To See You Cry6 African Lady7 Let The Water Run Dry8 When I Fall In Love9 You Keep Me Hanging On10 Just Another Girl11 Rastaman Chant